The Runners and Riders of Fat Bear Week in Photos

Sep 23, 2025

Matt Growcoot

A large brown bear stands at the edge of a body of water, stepping onto a rocky shore, with green leaves partially framing the foreground. — Bear 901. | Photo by E. Johnston / Katmai NPS

Fat Bear Week comes around each year and the unusual competition has turned into a global event with fans across the United States and beyond voting for their favorite massive mammal.

But to fuel the excitement, images must be taken of the bears who have been gorging on salmon all summer long to fatten up for the hibernation period over winter.

The Katmai National Park and Preserve, which operates the Fat Bear Week, uses live webcams to monitor the bears but also uses photographs taken by rangers and publishes them on Flickr. PetaPixel has rounded up a selection of the 2025 bears below.

A large brown bear stands in shallow, flowing water, looking down as it walks through the stream. — Bear 856. | Photo by A. Monaco / Katmai NPS

A brown bear stands on moss-covered rocks in a shallow river, with water flowing around its legs. — Bear 609. | Photo by T. Carmack / Katmai NPS

A large brown bear stands in a flowing river near a waterfall, surrounded by rushing water and rocks. — Bear 602. | Photo by T. Carmack / Katmai NPS

A large brown bear stands in a rushing river at the base of a waterfall, with foamy water swirling around its legs and a fallen tree branch visible in the background. — Bear 503. | Photo by T. Carmack / Katmai NPS

A large brown bear stands on moss-covered rocks in the middle of a shallow, flowing river, looking ahead with one paw slightly raised. — Bear 128. | Photo by C. Loberg / Katmai NPS

A large brown bear stands in a river with white, rushing water, looking to the right. Mossy rocks are visible in the background. — Bear 99. | Photo by A. Monaco / Katmai NPS

A large brown bear stands in a river with white water rushing behind it, looking directly at the camera. Some rocks with green moss are visible on the right. — Bear 32. | Photo by T. Carmack / Katmai NPS

A large brown bear stands on green grass near tall reeds, facing right. Another bear is partially visible in the background on the left. The scene is outdoors in natural sunlight. — Bear 26. | Photo by A. Monaco / Katmai NPS

A large brown bear walks on green grass near rocks and dense bushes, with sunlight highlighting its fur. — Bear 910. | Photo by E. Johnston / Katmai NPS

A large brown bear stands on a rock at the edge of a flowing river, looking towards the water as if searching for fish. — Bear 909. | Photo by A. Monaco / Katmai NPS

The bears can put on as much as 700 pounds over the summer months, meaning that some weight close to 1,400 pounds.

Fat Bear Week was started in 2014 by naturalist and former Katmai park ranger Mike Fitz, who noticed livecam viewers getting excited by how much weight the bears put on from June to September.

“It’s a really great way to kind of showcase these bears that we have in southwest Alaska,” Sarah Bruce, a Katmai National Park and Preserve ranger, tells CBS News. “It’s very difficult to get to, so the cameras and Fat Bear Week make this park more accessible for folks who are unable to visit.”